How to Turn Your Male Love Interest Evil (Without Losing the Romance): A Case Study on Xaden and the Villain Era Reveal

When Rebecca Yarros took the stage at a romance convention and told fans that Xaden Riorson — the dark, brooding, beloved love interest of her Empyrean series — was about to enter his villain era, the fandom did what fandoms do:

It exploded.

But here’s the thing: this isn’t just a shock twist or a PR stunt. It’s a calculated, genre-savvy pivot — one that, if done right, could deepen the romance rather than destroy it.

So let’s talk about it.

How do you take your male lead — the one readers swoon over, trust, and ship — and turn him into something darker… without breaking the story?

First: Understand Why This Works

In romance, especially fantasy romance, there's an enduring appeal to the morally gray love interest — the man who's dangerous, powerful, emotionally armoured, and deeply loyal to her.

But there’s a difference between:

• A morally gray love interest (He kills, but only for good reason), and

• A love interest entering his villain era (He crosses a line — maybe even betrays her).

The key difference? The second one threatens the trust. And trust is the spine of romance.

That’s why this move is risky — and why it matters so much how you do it.

Case Study: Rebecca Yarros & Xaden’s "Villain Era"

Rebecca Yarros has been threading this needle since Fourth Wing:

• Xaden starts off as a potential threat.

• He’s secretive, powerful, and not entirely trustworthy.

• But we fall for him anyway — because he’s dangerous in the right ways.

Now, she’s teasing that Xaden is going to break that emotional safety net — and readers are both excited and terrified.

Why is it working? Because Yarros has established emotional foundation before emotional rupture.

She didn’t start with a villain.She built a bond.And now she’s threatening to fracture it.

That’s compelling — if it pays off.

How to Do It in Your Own Writing

If you want to take your male lead from lover to (temporary?) villain, here’s how to keep it compelling and emotionally satisfying.

1. Build a Strong Emotional Foundation First

Before he goes dark, the relationship must feel real and rooted. The reader has to believe in:

• His love for the heroine

• Her ability to reach him

• The stakes of losing that connection

If the relationship feels flimsy or too new, the twist feels like drama for drama’s sake. But if we’ve seen him soften, sacrifice, and open up — the fall hits harder.

Empyrean example: Xaden’s protectiveness over Violet, his past trauma, and the vulnerability he slowly reveals create a deep emotional bank the narrative can now draw from.

2. Let the Break Be Personal — Not Just Political

If he’s going to break bad, it must hurt her — emotionally, morally, intimately.

It’s not enough for him to betray the realm or join the enemy. He must:

• Lie to her

• Withhold something critical

• Cross a line she never thought he would

• Force her to question her love

This personal rupture is what keeps the romance front and center, even as the dynamics shift.

Empyrean setup: Xaden’s involvement in bigger conspiracies is already positioned to create a wedge between him and Violet, especially if it touches on her sense of duty or her personal values.

3. Keep His Motivation Clear and Emotionally Charged

The “villain turn” only works if the audience understands why he’s doing it — even if they don’t agree.

Maybe he’s:

• Trying to protect her

• Seeking justice for past trauma

• Acting from desperation, not malice

• Making the “wrong” sacrifice

We can’t root for him if we don’t recognize his why. Even when he's wrong, it has to make sense.

Xaden's potential arc: A desperate move to protect Violet or destroy the system that killed his father would align with his trauma and ideals, even if it costs him everything.

4. Use the Villain Arc to Deepen the Romance, Not Kill It

A villain era doesn’t mean the romance ends — it means the stakes escalate.

If she still loves him, the question becomes:

• Can she forgive him?

• Can he come back from this?

• Will love survive the consequences?

This sets up powerful themes: redemption, trust, sacrifice, transformation.

In genre romance, this is crucial: If you break the bond without rebuilding it, you risk violating the reader-writer contract. But if you test the bond and make them earn their way back to each other? That’s legendary.

5. Balance Risk with Payoff

Let him fall — but make him fight to rise again.

Whether he redeems himself, stays morally gray, or embraces full villainhood, the story must deliver an emotionally satisfying payoff.

Even if the romance doesn't go back to what it was, it has to transform in a meaningful way.

That’s the promise of a villain arc done right.

Love Interests Don’t Have to Be Safe — Just Earned

Xaden’s villain era, if handled well, could make him even more compelling — not because we want “bad boys,” but because we want stories of struggle, growth, and hard-earned love.

So if you’re a writer? Let your male lead mess up. Let him fall. Let him become something almost unforgivable.

And then — if the story allows — let him fight for redemption like hell.

That’s how you turn a love interest evil… and still make readers swoon.